Carlos Sainz says it’s tough to disregard present outcomes however that he’s making an attempt to focus extra on long-term tasks as he continues to weigh up his subsequent transfer.
Williams and Stake — that may turn into Audi — are believed to stay the front-runners for Sainz’s signature, however the Spaniard has additionally been linked extra firmly with Alpine after the French constructor began exploring the potential for changing into a buyer crew in 2026. Alpine had been struggling this season however scored its second double-points end in a row in Spain whereas each Williams and Stake each had robust weekends, however Sainz says he’s making an attempt to not be influenced by week-to-week outcomes.
“It’s not straightforward,” Sainz mentioned. “I’m doing the train myself, and my crew, to actually attempt to keep away from taking a look at every race efficiency of every crew and simply give attention to the venture and the sensation that we get from the folks that we speak to, and the sensation that I get from speaking to every crew, and clearly wanting on the contracts.
“Generally with the aggressive spirit you simply try to see who is quicker, however I don’t assume the final race of every crew can be a consultant level of the place they’re going to be within the subsequent couple of years. So I’m making an attempt to steer clear of going into the race-by-race stuff.”
With the 29-year-old nonetheless assessing the choices he has on the desk — after Alpine and Aston Martin introduced contract extensions for Pierre Gasly and Lance Stroll respectively — he says the entire course of has taught him various issues in regards to the Method 1 paddock, in addition to the ambitions of every crew exhibiting an curiosity.
“To begin with, the state of affairs that I’ve been on this 12 months has made me be taught quite a bit about Method 1, generally, by speaking to groups,” he mentioned. “It has sort of confirmed me how robust this sport is, how little typically you need to imagine what individuals say initially of negotiations, conversations, and primarily additionally to belief little or no individuals within the paddock, as a result of it’s actually a really political sport.
“There’s plenty of issues like this concerned, and it’s made me perceive that, yeah, it’s a really robust sport in that sense, and perceive the higher image of Method 1, with out going an excessive amount of into element.
“The groups that I’m probably transferring to subsequent 12 months, I’ve clearly dug into the state that they’re [in]. It’s additionally [given] me in all probability a greater understanding of Method 1 and the place every crew is.”
